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The Ministry of National Defense announced Thursday that the US has officially asked for non-combatant military aid in the ongoing war against terrorism. According to military sources, the government will dispatch a 4,300 ton tank landing ship (LST) with a crew of 170, four C-130 transport aircraft with 150 flight, ground and maintenance staff, two liaison officers from the navy and air force, and a mobile army surgical hospital (MASH). The defense ministry is planning to iron out the details of deployment by December 20.
The 130-member MASH plus back up troops and the two liaison officers will be the first contingent to move to the area, possibly to Kyrgyzstan or to outposts where US forces are already stationed, on or around December 24 through 30.
The LST to be dispatched is Korean-made and was commissioned in 1998 and is able to carry 240 armed soldiers, 14 military vehicles including 600 ton tanks and eight trucks, and one helicopter.
(Yoo Yong-won, kysu@chosun.com )
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